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New & improved HPE StoreEver MSL3040 tape library

by PMD Solutions

New & improved HPE StoreEver MSL3040 tape library

People say we’re living an era of Big Data like never before. But the thing about Big Data is that it keeps getting…well, bigger! Fortunately, with the new HPE StoreEver MSL3040, you can manage your on-prem Big Data archival needs more flexibly and cost effectively than ever before.

-By Andrew Dodd, HPE Storage Media

The enormous, data-driven potential of emerging technologies like 5G, AI, ML, and IoT is creating a plethora of opportunities for businesses to transform their operations. The challenge is that though these opportunities abound, they are truly diverse and can require very different data storage optimizations.

Vendors like HPE are continuously redefining their portfolios to offer the best solution to these challenges, and yet, in the midst of it all, there is one category that never seems to change. I am, of course, referring to Linear Tape Open Ultrium tape technology which is deployed in the new and improved HPE StoreEver MSL3040 tape library.

Before you look away, perhaps thinking that there is nothing new to see here, let me assure you that there are some exciting developments happening in the world of long term archival storage. And in this blog, I’d like to share just a few of them.

The power to surprise

Although it may seem curious to some readers, the LTO tape industry is actually thriving. 2021 saw more new storage capacity shipped than ever before – an astonishing 148,000 PB – in spite of pandemic headwinds. There’s no reason to think that 2022 and 2023 is going to be any different. And only recently, the LTO Program announced an extension to the LTO roadmap that will take us through to the middle of the 2030s and LTO-14 cartridges capable of holding 1.4 PB of data in the palm of your hand.

Revolutionary evolution

It’s a timely moment, therefore, for HPE to be launching an enhanced version of the HPE StoreEver MSL3040 tape library, a modular LTO tape storage system that can scale out in 3U building blocks to deliver 28.8 PB of capacity (with LTO-9) in a single 48U rack.

The reimagined MSL3040 builds up from a 40-slot base unit and can be expanded by adding up to fifteen expansion modules, each one capable of supporting three half-height LTO drives and providing an extra 40 slots or 1.8TB of storage space.

In practice, this means the HPE StoreEver MSL3040 grows into a 640-slot leviathan containing 48 tape drives and delivering deliver up to 138 TB/hour of throughput.

Where does a new tape library fit in today’s storage landscape?

While opportunities for harnessing the power of Big Data may abound, any business that is trying to manage typical data growth rates of around 40-to-50% per year has a number of considerations when developing its strategic approach to data storage.

Within a single organization, there are likely to be many different workloads that are driving performance, availability, and capacity requirements. Return on investment is important as the world gingerly navigates the post-Covid recovery period. IT budgets must deliver value. The current economic headwinds are accelerating the urgency to deploy AI/ML technology to get more value from data and automation, which in turn is fueling Big Data growth rates. Many businesses are increasingly looking for a cloud-native, as-a-service (aaS) experience with maximum flexibility and minimal management overhead. Ransomware is an ever-present concern.

Faced with these diverse challenges, there is no one-size-fits-all solution that is capable of meeting every storage demand. I’m not here to say, “Use tape instead of...” any of the other technologies in the HPE Storage portfolio. Instead, the new HPE StoreEver MSL3040 tape library complements (for example) HPE Alletra cloud-native data infrastructure, backup simplicity with HPE GreenLake for Backup and Recovery, and Zerto’s continuous data protection. How? By offering low-cost, high-density, air-gapped storage for your unstructured archive data.

The massive on-premises archival storage capacity delivered by the HPE StoreEver MSL3040 will be ideal for many businesses who, for business or regulatory reasons, prefer not to place all their data in the cloud. It might also suit those who manage data on behalf of others, like cloud or managed service providers. By consolidating all your unstructured data in one place, you can provide relatively fast access to the data that is infrequently required without tying up more expensive secondary disk storage or incurring rising subscription fees in the cloud.

Obviously, as your data oceans in the cloud become deeper, so does the cost of navigating them. With on-premises LTO tape, you remain in full control and can use your archive data to support a variety of different business functions – such as R&D, manufacturing, supply chain, and marketing – that may need to access archive data to develop new products, analyze trends, or find ways of optimizing your day to day operations.

Having a tape system at your fingertips (like HPE’s Command View for Tape Library software that lets you manage the system from practically anywhere with an internet connection) also gives you another incredible benefit: secure, true offline protection from cybersecurity threats.

Don’t break the bank to keep your data safe from criminals

Disk or cloud based immutable storage is an excellent first line of defense, but you are likely to encounter capacity and cost constraints if they are your sole means of protection against ransomware. And it is the connectedness of these platforms, which makes them so useful for fast access to data that can be their Achilles heel when it comes to cybersecurity.

In comparison, LTO tape is the least expensive form of long term archival storage and it’s designed to be physically disconnected from the rest of the network. It may not be the best choice for instantly recoverable snapshots or continuous data protection, but HPE StoreEver tape can be used as a last line of defense to preserve business continuity when all else has failed. As such, the purchase price of a new library is probably many times lower than a typical ransomware demand (which 56% of businesses say they or their insurer pay) and the costs of business disruption following a cyberattack.

And perhaps best of all, given the current focus on climate change and sustainability, a modern tape library solution, like the HPE StoreEver MSL3040 consumes far less energy and emits a great deal less CO2 than a comparable disk storage system. Using LTO tape can make a positive net contribution to your company’s sustainability goals.

Find out more information about the HPE StoreEver MSL3040.

The revolutionary evolution on display in this mighty, modern midrange tape library can truly help your organization to grow places! Watch this video to learn how: